Church, school dedication planned Sunday

Sunday, the congregation of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church will dedicate both a new church and new school. The dedication service will be at 4:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m.

The new 5,000-square-foot church will be a multipurpose facility for worship, education, fellowship and school activities. The new kindergarten through eighth grade, two-room, Lutheran elementary school was made out of the remodeled first church building.

Guest speaker for the dedication service will be the president of the Pacific Northwest District of the Wisconsin Lutheran Synod, Pastor Warren Widmann of Portland, Ore.

During the service, the synod's parish consultant for new schools, Jason Nelson of Milwaukee, will present the congregation with an award certificate for being a Wels School of Promise.

Nelson came to Alaska a number of times over the past three years to help the school committee with planning.

Grace Lutheran received a $30,000 grant to start its new school.

"We are very grateful to God and to the members who have given so generously to the Lord, and to a host of people who have been a generous friend to our congregation -- big-hearted individuals, retailers, subcontractors, owners of private companies, etc.," said the Rev. Tom Schmidt.

"We have received over $204,000 in offerings earmarked 'the building fund' over the past 3 1/2 years. Furthermore, we have received donated work and gifts that have saved us at least $250,000. The congregation has only $40,000 to go to have its new church and school completely paid for. Under God's blessings, we expect that to happen in the next six months.

"We are also excited to have a very gifted and personable Mr. Dennis Leckwee, as our first school minister. The members of Grace Lutheran would be honored to have the public join them in the celebration service," Schmidt said.

The deadline to make dinner reservations is today. To make them or for more information, call the church at 283-6297.

The congregation, with its school, is between Kenai and Soldotna one block off Kalifornsky Beach Road on Ciechanski.

HEAD:Church, school dedication planned Sunday

BYLINE1:Staff report

Sunday, the congregation of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church will dedicate both a new church and new school. The dedication service will be at 4:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m.

The new 5,000-square-foot church will be a multipurpose facility for worship, education, fellowship and school activities. The new kindergarten through eighth grade, two-room, Lutheran elementary school was made out of the remodeled first church building.

Guest speaker for the dedication service will be the president of the Pacific Northwest District of the Wisconsin Lutheran Synod, Pastor Warren Widmann of Portland, Ore.

During the service, the synod's parish consultant for new schools, Jason Nelson of Milwaukee, will present the congregation with an award certificate for being a Wels School of Promise.

Nelson came to Alaska a number of times over the past three years to help the school committee with planning.

Grace Lutheran received a $30,000 grant to start its new school.

"We are very grateful to God and to the members who have given so generously to the Lord, and to a host of people who have been a generous friend to our congregation -- big-hearted individuals, retailers, subcontractors, owners of private companies, etc.," said the Rev. Tom Schmidt.

"We have received over $204,000 in offerings earmarked 'the building fund' over the past 3 1/2 years. Furthermore, we have received donated work and gifts that have saved us at least $250,000. The congregation has only $40,000 to go to have its new church and school completely paid for. Under God's blessings, we expect that to happen in the next six months.

"We are also excited to have a very gifted and personable Mr. Dennis Leckwee, as our first school minister. The members of Grace Lutheran would be honored to have the public join them in the celebration service," Schmidt said.

The deadline to make dinner reservations is today. To make them or for more information, call the church at 283-6297.

The congregation, with its school, is between Kenai and Soldotna one block off Kalifornsky Beach Road on Ciechanski.